The Silph Tournament
by sjshark23
Summary: On a remote island, Silph Co. is hosting a grand tournament. But one of the attractions is particularly sinister...and dangerous. What could it be? Only time will tell. OC submissions locked.
1. Intro and OC Form

** Yes, it's true: I decided to write a tournament fic. I'll be taking OC submissions for this one, the form is below.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.**

_On a small, uncharted island off Fuchsia City's coast, a huge construction effort was underway. The prestigious Silph Co. had decided to hold a tournament to attract the best trainers from all across the world. The tournament would require many facilities to function: a battle stadium, lodgings for the competitors, and various attractions for spectators. But one of their facilities was deemed unstable, even dangerous. This facility could shape the experience of every attendee...if they decided to visit it.

* * *

_

After he returned from working at his family's auto body shop, James Curtis looked over a sheet of paper and smiled weakly. He had hoped for this letter for months now: the application form for the first Silph World Tournament. The tournament was supposedly going to be even greater than the Silver Conference, and he had decided to test his skills against the top trainers in the world. The form had Silph Co.'s distinctive double-S logo at the top, and was laid out as such:

**Dear Trainer,**

** Congratulations! Your skills as a competitor in the various Leagues of the Pokemon world have earned you this invitation to the first annual Silph World Tournament! The tournament will be held one week from this coming Monday, and will take place on a beautiful island just off the coast of Fuchsia City. We would appreciate it if you would fill out this application with the following information:**

** Name:** first and last, middle if you have one

**Age:** due to liability concerns, the minimum age for participation is 14

**Gender:** male or female

**Hometown:** where you are from

**Appearance: **include hair color and style, eye color, skin tone and any other information you deem necessary

**Clothing:** self-explanatory, include accessories such as jewelry and Pokemon Apps such as the PokeNav

**Personality:** please be as descriptive as possible, including battle style. Mary-Sues are strictly prohibited.

**Pokemon:** maximum of 6 Pokemon with the following restrictions: limit of one shiny, no legendaries. Entries should follow the italicized form:

_Species Name (gender, nickname if they have one):_

_ Brief description of personality:_

_ Moves (minimum of two, maximum of six):_

_ Ability:_

**History:** simply a brief description of your past for our promotional material.

**Family:** please provide us with the names of your family members for our promotional paraphernalia.

**Other:** any other information you wish to include.

**We do sincerely hope you will choose to attend. If you do wish to compete, please return this form and make your way to one of the major port cities of the four regions for express transport to Fuchsia City. After you reach Fuchsia, our newest line of Seagallop ferries will transport you to the island.**

** Best regards,**

** Richard Silph, President**

** Matthew Jasper, Director of Public Relations

* * *

**

James looked around the room to see if his brothers had gotten home yet. They hadn't, so he figured he could fill out the form in peace. His completed form looked like this:

**Name: **James Stephen Curtis

**Age:** 19

**Gender:** Male

**Hometown:** Violet City, Johto Region

**Appearance:** about six feet tall, built like a long-distance runner. Dark brown hair that falls into eyes and badly need cutting. Eyes are blue-gray and piercing. Caucasian, lightly tanned.

**Clothing:** gray t-shirt, black cargo pants, black running shoes, black jacket. Wears a Zephyr Badge as a necklace. Has a black PokeGear and dark teal Pokedex.

**Personality:** Serious and reserved. Not much of a talker, but more taciturn and observant. Favors a purely offensive battle style, using type/move advantages and timely substitutions to overwhelm opponents. Tends to become reckless in battle, acting before he thinks. Appears to be cold and distant, which often gives people the wrong idea.

**Pokemon:**

Typhlosion (male, nicknamed Blaze)  
Reckless and aggressive in battle, but friendly otherwise.  
Moveset: Flamethrower, Swift, Dig, Flame Wheel, Overheat, Blast Burn  
Ability: Blaze

Rampardos (male, nicknamed Dino)  
A risk-taker, prefers to attack headfirst. Doesn't get on well with other Pokemon.  
Moveset: Headbutt, Flamethrower, Head Smash, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Giga Impact  
Ability: Mold Breaker

Gallade (male, nicknamed Sabre)  
Quiet and focused. Keeps its distance from others.  
Moveset: Leaf Blade, Swords Dance, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, X-Scissor, Close Combat  
Ability: Steadfast

Garchomp (male, nicknamed Jet)  
Relaxed, doesn't always take things seriously enough.  
Moveset: Brick Break, Draco Meteor, Dragon Rush, Earth Power, Dragon Claw, Giga Impact  
Ability: Sand Veil

Luxray (male, nicknamed Razor)  
Shy, often shocks anyone who gets too close.  
Moveset: Thunder Fang, Charge Beam, Light Screen, Crunch, Discharge, Thunder  
Ability: Intimidate

Gliscor (male, nicknamed Claw)  
Mischievous, frightens passers-by by swooping down on them.  
Moveset: X-Scissor, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Quick Attack, Guillotine  
Ability: Hyper Cutter

**History: **Born and raised in Violet City. Saw the five legendary bird Pokemon at age six. Parents were killed by a mugger when he was fourteen; his two brothers lost their jobs as police officers when he was sixteen. Has traveled through all four regions, earning all the badges and competing in the League Conferences.

**Family:**

Matt Curtis (father, 45, deceased): six-time Silver Conference champion  
Andrea Curtis (mother, 42, deceased): two-time Johto Grand Festival winner  
Darrell Curtis (brother, 24): former police officer, currently a mechanic  
Shane Curtis (brother, 21): former police officer, currently a mechanic

**Other:** has a bond with Flying-type Pokemon, easily befriending and training them.

James finished filling out the form and tossed it to his Staraptor, who flew off towards the post office. Yawning, he began gathering his things; Monday wasn't too far off.

**Alright, so there you have it. For OC submissions, I'd prefer they be PM'd to me (the reason being that I can look at each character in better detail), but sending them by review is alright as well. Once I get a few I can start the first chapter.**

** See ya!**


	2. Chapter 1: Intros

** Alright then, here's Chapter 2 of The Silph Tournament. Many thanks to those who've sent in OCs, and I'm still taking submissions, so send 'em in! This is just an intro chapter for some of the events in the story, and the actual tournament should start next chapter.**

Under cover of darkness, final preparations for the Silph Tournament were being carried out. Huge crates had been sent to the island and taken to a large area of land on the eastern side. Every crate was marked with the double-S of Silph, and all had been heavily protected by handlers with shock-prods.

One of these crates was being pushed to an enclosure, with ten handlers surrounding it. Off to the side, two men watched the crate intently. One was Matthew Jasper, the PR director for Silph, and the other was the tournament MC, Evan Christopher. Jasper watched in wide-eyed anticipation, and Christopher shook his head in disbelief. The people at Silph had refused to listen to his argument against this particular project, and they had built this facility without considering the risk.

"They're damned fools, they are," Christopher growled, watching as the crate was pushed to the entrance of the enclosure. "They failed to analyze the risks of this project, and went ahead with it anyway. They're asking for trouble."

"Now, don't go making generalizations, Evan," Jasper told him in a calming voice, though he was nervous about this as well. Silph's collaboration with Cinnabar BioTech had made this project a reality, yet it was risky and possibly dangerous. No-one had attempted to do what they'd done before, and there was a chance it would backfire on them.

"Well, we'll soon see. They're about to let it out," Christopher snarled, and eyed the crate with suspicion.

Down by the enclosure, a man in a safari outfit signaled a handler to open the gate. The man was Paul Holden, the man in charge of the facility, and this particular project was his idea. He raised his arm, and the handler on top of the crate began opening the hatch. When it was about two-thirds of the way open, whatever was inside moved swiftly and knocked the crate back, sending the handler plummeting to the floor.

"Oh, dear Arceus, no!" Holden shouted, as he ran to try and shut the gate. As he reached it, the handler was pulled towards the open hatch, and Holden grabbed him to try and pull him back. "Quick, block the opening! We can't let it get out!" More handlers rushed to the rescue, pointing their shock-prods towards the opening. At Holden's command, they began firing the devices, illuminating the crate with flashes of white light. But Holden's effort to save the handler was in vain, as the handler was pulled through his grasp and into the crate....

* * *

At the small hotel in Fuchsia City, Corey Spina sat watching the sun go down over the horizon. He had traveled here all the way from Snowpoint City and was eager to get the Silph Tournament started. People had arrived from all across the world to compete, and he couldn't wait to test his skills against them. He adjusted the zipper on his green windbreaker and stood up, preparing to get some sleep. The first Seagallop Ferry to the tournament venue left at seven the next morning, and he wanted to be one of the first to register so he could check out the island before the preliminary rounds began.

As he hurried up towards his room, he ran smack-dab into a smallish woman rounding the corner. The woman he'd run into had dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and her light brown eyes surveyed Corey with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

"Do you make it a habit of running into people?" she asked him, as they both regained their compsure.

"No, I'm just excited about tomorrow," Corey replied, looking away in embarrassment. "Big tournament, ya know? I'm going to catch the first ferry to the island tomorrow."

"You're kidding! I'm competing in that tournament too!" The woman smiled warmly, holding out her hand. "I'm Jessica Cooper, but you can call me Jess. I'm from Lavender, not too far from here."

"I'm Corey Spina," Corey told her, shaking her hand. "I came all the way from Snowpoint for this, so I hope it's worth the trip. I heard that this tournament's even bigger than the League Conferences, so it must be,"

"Maybe," Jess answered, smiling. She looked at her Poketch and and gasped. "Sheesh, it's that time already? I'm sorry to run like this, Corey, but I've got to get to the Pokemon Center and get my Pokemon back for tomorrow. Hopefully we'll see each other then!" With that, she ran off and left Corey scratching his head in confusion.

"She seems to be in a big hurry," he said to himself, and continued to his room.

* * *

"Come on, Olivia, just a few more minutes!" a small boy with dark hair whined. His Pachirisu mimicked his expression as his sister shook her head.

"No, Jason, you have to get some sleep! I promised Mom that I'd make sure you were taken care of while we traveled together, and now is no exception! We'll train again tomorrow!" Olivia Rowan grabbed the Poke Ball from Jason's hand and recalled Pachirisu before hustling him towards the Pokemon Center. As they passed the Center's battlefield, they both noticed a tall trainer commanding two Pokemon from the sideline. The trainer in question had dark brown hair that nearly concealed his eyes, and wore a black jacket with the distinctive insignia of Johto's Air Force: two crossed wings with a Poke Ball at their vertex. Olivia and Jason walked over, and watched the trainer battle.

"Alright, Sabre, Night Slash!" A Gallade crossed its arms, which turned a dark purple, and leaped at its opponent, a Garchomp. "Jet, counter with Dragon Claw!" The Garchomp's fin turned red, and it leaped at the Gallade and swung its arm. The two moves collided, creating a large cloud of smoke, and the Rowan siblings shrank back from the impact. As the smoke cleared, the trainer recalled the two Pokemon and stated towards the Pokemon Center. Before he could move two paces, though, Jason ran over to him.

"That was the coolest!" the younger boy shouted, literally hopping up and down in excitement. "I can't believe you actually have a Gallade _and_ a Garchomp! They're supposed to be really rare and really tough to train!"

"Believe me, kid, it did take a long time to train 'em both," the older trainer growled, wanting nothing more than to get away from there and get some thinking done in the solitude of his own room. "Do your parents know you're out here, kid?"

"Actually, I'm keeping an eye on him," Olivia said as she hurried over to them. "Jason, don't you know it's rude to just run up to people and yell at them? I'm sorry," she said to the other trainer. "He's a little, you know, _much_ sometimes. I'm Olivia Rowan," she added, and put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "And as you might have heard, this is my little brother, Jason"

The taller male nodded. "Good to know you, Olivia. I'm James Curtis, from Violet City. I'm here for the Silph Tournament tomorrow."

"So am I!" Olivia shouted as she heard him mention the tournament. "Jason's just here for moral support, since he's too young to compete. We're from Twinleaf Town, in Sinnoh."

"Ah, from Sinnoh, are we?" James said, smiling slightly. "I know a few people up there, and I just finished traveling there too. That's where I got my Gallade and Garchomp," he added, looking at Jason. "And it took me a while to train them both, so I hope it'll pay off."

"It will, don't worry!" Olivia said brightly. She smirked as Jason yawned widely. "And that's the signal for Jason to go to bed, so I hope we see each other again soon!" The brother and sister ran off, and James sighed. He looked around once, then jogged back to the Pokemon Center to get some sleep himself.

**OK, so there's Chapter 2. If you're wondering about the symbol on James' jacket, take a look at the US Air Force insignia and you'll get the idea. I _really _need OC submissions from you guys, so don't hesitate to send 'em in! If I portrayed your character wrong, just tell me, and I'll fix it the best I can.  
**

** OC CREDITS:**

_James Curtis and Silph Co. Employees: _SJShark23

_Jess Cooper:_ Imagination Domination

_Corey Spina:_Spartan20

_Olivia and Jason Rowan:_ Kairi Avalon


	3. Chapter 2: Intros II

** Alright, here's Chapter 3 of The Silph Tournament. OC slots are still open, so send 'em in if you want to.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.**

The Seagallop Ferry raced across the water towards the island where the Silph Tournament was to take place. A briny foam was kicked up by the ship's cutting through the water, and many had stayed inside to avoid being hit. One exception was an orange-haired girl, who hung over the railing and watched the Magikarp and Tentacool swim below the water. Akane "Red" Itou of Pallet Town sighed, and looked into the distance, where the island was becoming more and more in focus.

_'Attention passengers!' _an electronic voice called through the PA system. _'We will be reaching the island in five minutes' time. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark.'_ "Finally," Red whispered to herself, swinging her backpack onto her shoulders. "I thought we'd never get there." She walked towards the , and almost got knocked over by another girl with shoulder-length black hair held back with a silver headband. The girl was a bit shorter than Red, and seemed very frustrated for some reason.

"Sheesh, can't you look where you're going? I'm challenging you to a battle as soon as we land!" the black-haired girl shouted, regaining her balance. Red backed away from the other girl, holding her hands up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn't mean to run into you!" she said, her blue-green eyes wide with surprise and slight panic. "I didn't think anyone'd be in the doorway. I'm sorry if I got in your way."

"It's fine, I guess," the other girl said, her voice becoming calmer. "I should've looked first. My name's Nikki, by the way. Nikki Vasquez. I'm from Viridian City."

"I'm Akane Itou, but everyone calls me Red," Red told her, nodding in acknowledgment. "I'm from Pallet Town, just south of Viridian. It's nice to meet you,"

"Same here," Nikki said, smiling. "So, you're here to compete in the Silph Tournament? The tournament's being covered by all the papers and news shows, so it's a big deal."

"Yeah, I'm competing," Red replied, a touch of impatience entering her voice. She just wanted to get to the dock and debark already, and didn't really want to strike up a long conversation. "Say, Nikki, why don't we continue this on the shore? We're about to dock and I want to register for the tournament as soon as possible."

"Fine by me. My offer for a battle's still on, just so you know!" Nikki called as Red walked along the deck and headed for the main exit, where most of the passengers had gathered.

* * *

"July, let's move! We've gotta hurry if we're going to register first!" December Moon called to her friend, Julian Sienna. July growled and looked to his two sisters, who were playing with their Plusle and Minun and giggling madly.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" he shouted back to her, and walked over to his sisters. "Hey, Avril, Juliet, grab your Pokemon and let's go. We've got to get ready to register for the tournament, and I'll leave you behind if I have to."

"You wouldn't!" Avril shouted, and her Plusle, Pecha, squeaked in agreement. July rolled his eyes in frustration and adjusted the goggles on his head. Pecha jumped onto Avril's shoulder, and Miberu, Juliet's Minun, did the same with its trainer. The three Sienna siblings headed to where December was standing, and July's annoyed frown softened slightly.

"Alright, we're here, happy?" he growled, his emerald eyes contrasting with his spiked red-brown hair. He couldn't stay mad at December for long. Ever since his mother had taken him to Snowpoint to visit December's mother, he'd felt attracted to her. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Yeah!" December said to him, giggling at the antics of the two Cheering Pokemon on Avril and Juliet's shoulders. The pair were tapping their paws against each other, creating yellow and blue sparks.

"Those two look happy," a voice said behind the quartet, and both Sienna sisters jumped, almost knocking Pecha and Miberu off their shoulders. The voice belonged to a slightly chubby boy with violet eyes covered by a pair of square black glasses. He wore a black vest over a red t-shirt, and a cowboy hat was perched on his head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you two. My name's Garren Townshend, and I'm from Mahogany Town in Johto. I'm competing in the Silph Tournament."

"So are we!" December told him, indicating herself and July. "I'm December Moon, and this is my best friend July Sienna."

"I'm Avril, and this is my sister Juliet!" Avril chimed in, and Juliet nodded in assent. "We're just here to watch our big brother fight, since we're too young to be in it!"

"I see," Garren said, nodding slightly. "Well, I hope you guys both do well!" Garren turned and walked over to another trainer, eagerly introducing himself. July looked at December with a raised eyebrow and let out a sharp, false laugh.

"He was kind of odd," he said, his expression bemused. "I mean, he's just randomly introducing himself to everyone!"

"Don't worry about it. So he's friendly, big deal! It was nice of him to introduce himself," December said, and at this, the boat hit the dock and dropped its boarding ramp, prompting all the passengers to rush towards the exit. The four youngsters nodded to each other, and hurried towards the exit themselves, eager to get ashore and register.

* * *

The registration building was located right outside the battle stadium, which was a huge ovoid structure with a huge Silph logo over the entrance. The company had spared no expense in making the building as vast and modern as possible, and the finished product was a sight to behold.

Inside the smaller building, a girl with green hair impatiently waited for her turn to register. An Umbreon was slinking around near her ankles, and hissing at passers-by.

"Twilight, behave!" the girl reprimanded the Moonlight Pokemon, and the small black rabbit-like Pokemon's ears slumped in shame. The trainer in front of the girl moved away, and she hurried forward, eager to register. "Hi, is this where we register!"

"It most certainly is!" a woman with blue-green hair said cheerfully, grinning. "Name?"

"Alexandra Hayden." the girl said, smiling back.

"Hometown?"

"Snowpoint City, Sinnoh."

"Alright, I'll just need you to enter your current party into one of the computer terminals over there and you'll get your tournament pass and information brochure. We hope you excel!"

"Thanks, miss!" Alex said, running over to said terminal bank. An older male behind her stepped forward, removing his fedora.

"Name?"

"Damien Wolf," the man said, his greenish-blue eyes glancing around. He just wanted to get this over with and go to one of the training areas scattered across the island.

"Hometown?"

"Agate Village, Orre region."

"Orre, huh? We don't get a lot of competitors from there. OK, just register your party into one of our computer terminals and you'll be all set. Have a nice day!"

"I plan to," Damien said quietly, putting his hat back on and striding over to one of the terminals. He punched in a few numbers, then a small card and a booklet fell into a chute. Damien grabbed the items and headed out of the building.

* * *

The Rowan siblings were wandering around the visitor's centre, with Olivia's Lucario, Ace, keeping a sharp eye on its trainer and her brother. The pair seemed to be lost, and a tall boy with black hair and a jacket of the same color walked over to them.

"Are you guys looking for the registration building?" he asked, smiling in a friendly manner. He wore a white t-shirt under the jacket, and had dark jean shorts as well.

"I think so," Olivia admitted, smiling back sheepishly. "I'm not such a great navigator, ya know?"

"That's understandable," the boy said, nodding in assent. "The registration building is just past that info kiosk there; it's right under the Silph logo on the stadium's wall."

"Thanks!" Olivia said, but stopped herself from running off. "I'm Olivia Rowan, by the way, and this is my brother Jason," she told him, pointing to her brother. "And this is Ace, my Lucario." Ace simply grunted in acknowledgment, looking at the older boy warily.

"Nice to meet you, Olivia and Jason. I'm Damien Green, from Celadon. You guys competing in the tournament?"

"Just me," Olivia said, shrugging. "Jason's too young, so he's just here to support me."

"That's good of him," Damien said, nodding again. He looked at a clock display and jumped. "Oh, man, I just forgot, I said I'd meet someone by the main dock! I'm sorry to run like this, you guys, but I've got to go." With that, Damien ran towards the dock, and the Rowan siblings hurried to the registration building.

**Phew. Alright, that's all the OCs introduced. Like I said above, I'm still taking submissions, so send your OCs in if you haven't already. The actual tournament should start next chapter, but I just wanted to get the intros out of the way.**

**OC CREDITS:**

_ James Curtis and Silph Co. Employees: _SJShark23_  
Jess Cooper: _Imagination Domination_  
Corey Spina:_ Spartan20_  
Olivia and Jason Rowan:_ Kairi Avalon_  
Akane "Red" Itou:_ KuramaxnoxKitsune-chan_  
Nikki Vasquez:_ Fire Drastar_  
December Moon, Sienna siblings:_ Glaceon-Girl-POK3MON_  
Garren Townshend:_ Xdragon212_  
Alex Hayden:_ Eclipse of Love_  
Damien Wolf:_ flamewolf44_  
Damien Green:_ SouthernJaguar94


	4. Chapter 3: The Zoo of Legendary Pokemon?

** OK readers, here's Chapter 4 of The Silph Tournament.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.**

Alessandra Cesarini looked at the sign over the large complex on the east side of the island and frowned. The "Zoo of Legendary Pokemon" was one of the attractions listed on the brochure she and her friend had received, but she couldn't make sense of the name. Was it supposed to be actual legendaries, or simply robotic recreations like the ones outside Porta Vista? Beside her, Markus Pearl looked around impatiently. He just wanted to take a look at what was inside, get out, and head for the stadium to watch the first preliminary round.

"What d'you suppose is in there, Markus?" Alex asked the blond-haired boy, who shrugged. "From the sound of it, they've got replicas of legendary Pokemon in there."

"Who cares!" Markus shouted, running towards the entrance. "I just wanna get going, Alex! C'mon, let's head inside!" With no further comment, Alex simply followed her childhood friend. She had become used to his impulsiveness over the years, and thought no less of him for it. By the time she had entered the vast complex, Markus was already at one of the enclosures, which had a large "HIGHLY DANGEROUS: APPROACH WITH CAUTION" sign on it. "Check this one out, Alex! It says there's an Entei in there!"

"You're not serious!" Alex said incredulously, running over to the enclosure herself. Sure enough, behind the Plexiglas viewing window, there stood the Fire-type legendary mastiff, staring at them with burning red eyes. As Markus edged closer for a better look, it sent a stream of fire towards them, which was blocked by the viewport, which glowed slightly yellow as it took the hit.

"T-that was weird," Markus said, inching back from the glass. "I think something in there used Light Screen to block the fire, but why would Entei attack visitors like that?"

"Because it shouldn't be here," said a voice behind them. Both Twinleaf natives jumped as a burly man with black hair and stormy grey eyes approached them, looking at the enclosure with disdain. "None of the Pokemon in here should be. They don't deserve to be locked away, with only gawking visitors for company. That one," he said, pointing to Entei's enclosure, "killed one of its handlers the night we brought it in. Took us a week to repair the damaged magnetic clamps on the side of the enclosure."

"Wait, that Pokemon _killed_ someone?" Alex asked, her eyes widening in horror. She couldn't believe that any Pokemon, even a powerful legendary like Entei, could ever take a human life.

"Believe it, kid," the man said, shaking his head. "Keep looking around if you want to, there's more cloned legendaries all over the place."

"Actually, we were just leaving, _weren't we, Alex_?" Markus told him, grabbing Alex's arm and pulling her towards the exit. Alex just nodded and followed Markus out of the complex. Once they got outside, she shouted angrily.

"How dare they abuse those Pokemon like that!" she almost screamed, shaking her fist at the huge complex. "That man was right, those poor creatures shouldn't be locked up like that! Who does that to a Pokemon?"

"People who want to make quick money, Alex," Markus said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They wanted to attract a lot of visitors to this place, and it looks like it worked. Most people would kill to see a legendary Pokemon, and now they've got the opportunity."

"Well, if we can, we should put a stop to it!" Alex said with finality, and the two friends headed for the stadium, where the first preliminary battle was to take place.

* * *

"Welcome, one and all, to the Silph Tournament!" A man's voice boomed over the speakers, and the crowd cheered loudly. "I'm your MC, Evan Christopher, and I can tell you that this tournament is going to be the best we've seen in a long time!" More cheers followed this, and then silence fell as the viewscreen lit up, preparing for the first match. "Now, we have eight groups of four trainers each, for a field of thirty-two competitors. The group stage will be conducted using a round-robin format, with each trainer fighting three battles. After the group stage, sixteen trainers will advance to the single-elimination knockout round, and the last trainer remaining in that round will be crowned Silph Tournament Champion!

"Now, for our first match in Group A. Please welcome our first competitor, from Dewford Town in Hoenn, Alissa Sorelle!"

Alissa's sharp eyes scanned the crowd nervously. She'd never been part of something this big, being from the small, out of the way island of Dewford. But she was determined to show that the town could turn out a great trainer, and prepared to show everyone just what she meant.

Her opponent was a trainer from Fuchsia City, not far from the island. His own eyes were hard and black as coal, and they bore into Alissa's with unprompted contempt. She turned away, refusing to look at him, and the official spoke to the pair of them.

"Alright, trainers, the preliminary battles will be three-on-three with free substitutions and no time limit. The first trainer to lose all three of their Pokemon loses the match. Now, we will have a coin flip to determine who makes the first move. Call the toss, please." Alissa chose tails, and her opponent heads. The official signaled for the flip, and the virtual coin on the viewscreen landed Pokeball side up: tails. "The result is tails, so Alissa makes the first move!"

"Fine by me!" Alissa said, more to herself than anyone else. She pulled a Pokeball off her belt and straightened the orange bandanna around her neck. "Okay, let's start this off! Centre stage, Storm!" A blue wolf-like Pokemon emerged, her yellow patches of fur sparking as she roared in an obvious challenge. Her opponent sneered and tossed his own ball.

"Houndoom, let's go!" A black dog with an arrowhead-like tail appeared in response, snarling with untempered rage at its opponent. Storm didn't respond, but just stared back, ready to battle.

"Let the match begin!" the official called, and the fight was on.

"Storm, use Thunder!" Storm generated a huge lightning bolt and fired it at Houndoom, who deftly sidestepped the attack. In response, Houndoom's trainer ordered a Flamethrower, which hit Storm head on and pushed it back. Storm simply shook off the blow and waited for her trainer to issue another command. "Quick, hit it with Thunderbolt!" Another electric blast, another dodge by Houndoom.

"This is pathetic. Houndoom, Crunch now!" The black dog raced at Storm, its jaws opening wide. Storm braced herself, and Alissa calmly ordered Protect. A greenish dome surrounded Storm, and Houndoom bounced right off, leaving itself vulnerable.

"Now's our chance, Storm! Thunder!" This time, Houndoom was hit solidly, and fell to the ground, its whole body sparking. Its trainer snarled in frustration, ordering the Pokemon to get up, but it struggled mightily as it tried to do so; it had been paralyzed by the attack. "Quick, finish up and use Thunder one more time!" Storm hit Houndoom with another electric blast, and this time Houndoom didn't get back up.

"Houndoom is unable to battle! Manectric is the winner!"

"Great work, Storm!" Alissa called to her Pokemon, who sparked in composed triumph. Houndoom's trainer recalled it with a furious expression, and snapped at it for being too slow. Alissa's eyes narrowed at this; no-one should criticize their Pokemon after a loss. She regained herself, though, since it wasn't the time or place to get mad at her opponent.

"You're finished! Hippowdon, let's go!" The gigantic beige hippo emerged, bellowing loudly as it faced Storm. To add to the intimidating appearance, sand began swirling around the area as Hippowdon's Sand Stream ability kicked in. Alissa, knowing that a Ground-type Pokemon meant trouble for Storm, recalled her with a consoling smile.

"You did a great job, Storm. Get some rest while the others take over." She took out another Pokeball and tossed it. "Centre stage, Esmeralda!" A green-winged Tropius emerged, squeaking in happy anticipation of the battle. "Alright then, start with Sunny Day!" Esmeralda launched a fiery orange sphere into the sky, which intensified the sunlight and cancelled out the sandstorm. "Now, hit Hippowdon with SolarBeam!" With the intense sunlight, Esmeralda could fire the blue-white beam of energy without having to charge up. The beam slammed into Hippowdon, which shrank back from the impact. "Yeah, that worked great! Now use Steel Wing while it's stunned!" Esmeralda's wings glowed as she charged at Hippowdon. This was what her opponent had waited for.

"Hyper Beam!" Hippowdon opened its mouth and fired a yellow-orange beam at Esmeralda, who couldn't pull out of her dive and took the hit head-on. As Alissa shouted her Pokemon's name in despair, Esmeralda collapsed to the ground, beaten in one hit.

"Tropius is unable to battle! Hippowdon takes the win!"

"Esmeralda, return!" Alissa called as she returned her faithful Pokemon. "You put up a good fight, Esmeralda. Get some rest." Taking out a third Pokeball, she tossed it onto the field. "Centre stage Altitude!" A blue-bodied Pokemon with white, cloud-like wings emerged: an Altaria. Alissa's opponent didn't recall Hippowdon, and Alissa took the initiative once again. "Quick, use Sing!" Altitude began humming a soothing melody, which almost instantly put Hippowdon to sleep.

"Wake up, Hippowdon! This is the last thing we need!" Hippowdon's trainer shouted, angrily balling his fists as he berated his Pokemon. Alissa calmly ordered Ice Beam, which struck Hippowdon and caused a small patch of ice to form on Hippowdon's back. "Wake up! This is no time to take a nap!" the other trainer shouted, now practically jumping up and down with rage.

"Finish up with Sky Attack, Altitude!" The Altaria's body glowed white, and he flew back in preparation for the final blow.

"For Arceus' sake, wake up! You can hit it while it charges up!" But the trainer's harsh comments did nothing to end Hippowdon's nap, and Altitude crashed into it, sending it onto its back and out of the match.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle! Altaria is the winner!" The dark-eyed trainer recalled Hippowdon, promising to deal with it later. Alissa frowned again; this trainer really didn't get it.

"Now, let's actually make an effort! Tyranitar, let's go!" A huge, greenish Pokemon emerged, and another sandstorm kicked in as its ability was activated. Alissa decided to stick with Altitude, since his moves were probably her best bet against a combination Rock- and Dark-type.

"Now, let's start this thing off! Dragon Pulse!" Altitude formed a bluish sphere of energy and launched it at Tyranitar.

"Focus Blast!" Tyranitar formed a sphere of its own and threw it at the Dragon Pulse. Both moves collided and exploded, creating a cloud of smoke that almost blew the sandstorm away. "Now, Ice Beam!" This time, Tyranitar was the one to fire the icy beam of energy, and Altitude dodged quickly before it got hit by the super-effective attack.

"Alright, Altitude, let's show that Tyranitar we mean business! Use your Ice Beam!" Altaria fired the bluish beam, and Tyranitar took the hit, becoming frozen on the spot. The other trainer couldn't believe it, and Alissa called for Heat Wave. The air became incredibly hot, and the ice melted, but Tyranitar couldn't stand up to the moves and collapsed, beaten.

"Tyranitar is unable to continue! Altaria wins, and so victory goes to Alissa Sorrelle of Dewford Town!" Alissa smiled in composed triumph, and recalled Altitude for some rest. She walked over to her opponent, who had recalled Tyranitar and started to walk out of the stadium.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" she called to him, and he stopped, his eyes hard and furious. "That was a great battle out there. What's your name?"

"The name's Hunter Scott, and you'd do well to stay out of my way," Hunter ran a hand through his rust-brown hair and walked out of the stadium, leaving a very confused and upset Alissa behind.

**Alright, so the first match of the group stage is history! And I guess I answered the question of what was in the crates earlier in the chapter as well. If your OC didn't appear in this ****chapter, don't worry; I'm just trying to introduce all the characters before I toss them all together. That being said, please read, review and tell me what you think! If I got your character wrong, PM me and I'll do my best to fix them!**

** Also, this is your last chance to submit a character if you want to. Once I post Chapter 5, OCs will be locked in.**

** OC CREDITS (I'll just put the new characters here)**

_Alex Cesarini, Markus Pearl:_ Legendary Fairy

_Alissa Sorrelle: _winterkitten

_Hunter Scott:_ SJShark23


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